Switching from woodwind to brass?

Question

i have been playin the clarinet for 7 years and i have been wanting to play brass cuz i want to try out for a drum core can someone tell me which brass is easy to switch to. some of my ideas are the truba or trumpet but im open to ideas

Answer 1

Yeah, trumpet may be easier since it is on the treble clef like the clarinet, so you really wouldn't be learning anything new besides the fingerings. However, if you do decide low brass (trombone, tuba, etc.), you'd have to learn bass clef in addition to the fingerings, so Trumpet would be a bit easier.

Answer 2

I have been playing clarinet for nearly 20 years, but have recently gotten into the trumpet.  Over the years I have learned all of the woodwinds, but I didn't pick up brass until December.

I don't know how hard it would be to switch to tuba, but I do know that with the muscles built up from clarinet, it didn't take much to figure out the trumpet!  After about 1 month of practicing (everyday), I could play at a high school level... the only problem I had was getting the LOW range on trumpet... but I can play notes in the stratosphere, no problem! LOL

Tonguing is a little different (I felt like I was having to move my tongue too far, or I was searching for resistance of some kind), but a little practice with tonguing exercises helped that too... it still feels a bit akward sometimes, though!

The advantage to tuba is that the competition for Drum Corps may not be as harsh.  The people who audition will still be amazing, but there won't be as many to compete against.  The down side is that you will be fully working against your clarinet embouchure, and it will take a while to use all those muscles differently... but I would think that it's doable.  I think Euphonium would also fall into this category... there's always a need for good euphonium players in symphonies... why not in the Core?

The Drum Corps don't use trombones, so that's out.

French horns don't march, but mellophones do... to my knowledge, mellophones are played exactly like trumpet, but have the same tuning issues as the french horn.  The partials on french horn are VERY hard to hear and to hit... I think you would have a MUCH easier time switching to trumpet, as the partials come very naturally.

I would suggest that no matter what instrument you choose, play it for a couple of weeks (consistant practice)... then see if you could get a couple lessons.  You may not need a lesson every week, but a couple in the beginning would be good to make sure you have the propper technique, etc.  Also, after you have put some time in on your new horn, you may want to revisit the lesson thing- the Drum Corps is VERY competetive.  A couple lessons could give you a better idea as to where you stand in comparison to your peers, and can give you an idea as to your strengths, weaknesses, and what kind of repetoire would be apropriate.

And one more idea for you- go to your local music store and explain to them that you are a clarinet player with aspirations of joining the Core... they should let you try each horn and see what is most comfortable and natural for you.  You may find that you have a natural affinity for one or the other, and no matter what Y!A tells you, you will find what will fit you best!

Hope this helped, and remember to have fun! :)

Answer 3

I know a lot of people that have played the clarinet including my sister and they have successfully switched to the french horn. You could try that. Good luck!

Answer 4

I've played clarinet for five years and I recently switched over to mellophone. Pretty easy. Your mouth, more accurately, your upper lip gets way tired after about 30 min of straight playing (well, it did for me anyways) But that's just because I just started on it. You'll build up tolerance.

Answer 5

i too play clarinet, and i wish i could switch to a brass instrument.

i would try out different ones, to see which one you feel most comfortable with.

give the trumpet a try. it generally has similar parts as the clarinets. but not always.

also, you could try french horn, but i've heard that it is a very difficult instrument.

but anything is possible.

if you can play one instrument, you can play them all!

:)